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Chef2Chef Recipe Club - Volume 3 Issue 115 - December 6, 2002 Chef2Chef Recipe Club Member Forum: http://forums.chef2chef.net Un/Subscribe: http://chef2chef.net/news/subscribe.htm -------------------------------------------------- Hello Recipe Club, My many thanks go to my friend Patricia Rain for her recipes this week. Wait until you see what she has for us today, the dynamic duo of chocolate and vanilla. These recipes sound fantastic as did all of them this week. Next week more recipes from our Canadian friend, Personal Chef Terry Henderson. -------------------------------------------------- To finish a week of desserts from the Vanilla Queen, we'll celebrate with the dynamic duo - chocolate and vanilla. Chocolate and vanilla are made for each other. They're both flavors of the Americas and naturally grow together in the same region of Mexico. Both are known to be aphrodisiacs (for more information about vanilla as an aphrodisiac, visit http://www.vanilla.com/html/sexandlove.html ). Without vanilla, chocolate tastes rather plain. And, you can win the heart of nearly everyone serving something made with our two all-time favorites! This chocolate cake is a favorite of mine. It's easy to make and the flavor and texture are wonderful. I also happen to love chocolate and fruit. I've chosen cherries for the filling and garnish, but raspberry, apricot, or strawberry jams are also good flavor choices. While it isn't necessary to use liqueur, it does intensify the flavor of the fruit. A comment about the use of the vanilla: Regular vanilla extract will work fine if you don't have either Mexican or Tahitian vanilla available. The reason I use Mexican extract in the cake is because it pairs well with chocolate. I use Tahitian extract for the filling and frosting as it has strong cherry notes and enhances the flavor and fragrance of cherry. The only point I strongly encourage is the use of pure extract; the choice of varieties is less important. (Visit my site at www.vanilla.com if you have difficulty finding either of these extracts.) -------------------------------------------------- COOKBOOK WIZARD RECIPE SOFTWARE - offers a quick and easy way to organize your favorite recipes on your PC. Top Rated 5 star recipe software. Try it FREE for 30 days, download it now. Visit: http://www.mealmaster.com or Email: banyan@microblast.com -------------------------------------------------- Cherry-Vanilla Chocolate Cake with Truffle Frosting Cake Ingredients: 1-1/2 cups thick sour cream 1-1/2 cups sugar 2 tablespoons butter, melted 4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, preferably Mexican Scant 2-1/4 cups unbleached flour or cake flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 eggs Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans or one 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan. Mix together sour cream, sugar, butter and vanilla extract. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add to sour cream mixture. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Pour into pan(s) and bake until the cake springs back when lightly touched (about 20 - 30 minutes, depending on pans used). Cool on rack for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove cake from pans and sprinkle lightly with Kirsch (cherry brandy). If the cake has been baked in one large pan, cut cake in two layers and sprinkle both layers with Kirsch. Filling Ingredients: 12 to 16 ounces cherry preserves 2 tablespoons Kirsch 2 teaspoons Tahitian vanilla extract Mix well and reserve 2 teaspoons of preserves to use as glaze. Place bottom layer of cake on serving dish. Cover with cherry preserves, then place top layer onto cake. Frost with Truffle Frosting. Decorate cake with fresh cherries that have been pitted and glazed with the balance of the preserves, and sprigs of mint. Truffle Frosting Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1 cup heavy cream 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, broken into small pieces or run through food processor 1/4 pound unsalted butter (8 tablespoons) pinch of salt 1 tablespoon Tahitian vanilla extract Instructions: Place sugar and cream in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and add chocolate and butter, cut into little pieces. Mix well. When chocolate and butter are completely melted, add pinch of salt (optional) and vanilla extract. Place in refrigerator until mixture has cooled. If necessary, beat with a spoon or whisk until frosting is the right consistency for frosting the cake. -------------------------------------------------- WWKitchens.com Christmas is coming up! Is YOUR Kitchen ready? World Wide Kitchens (wwkitchens.com) -- featuring holiday specials, promos & more in cooperation with cooking.com. If it's not in your kitchen, try ours! Huge selection of cooking tools, bake-ware, table service & small appliances. Gourmet, specialty and international foods. Even an online butcher shop! NEW contests, cooking forums, our HUGE food glossary, tips & techniques. Did we mention over 5000 recipes?? VISIT us this holiday season at: http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=232 -------------------------------------------------- When I was growing up, we would do anything for our mother to get her to bake us her incredible pies. One of our favorites was her chocolate pie, made from a recipe she acquired from a friend in Ohio. She filled her perfect baked crusts with a dense chocolate mixture that was then smothered in whipped cream and dusted with chocolate. We could never get enough of it, it was so good to our unsophisticated palates. I like to pair pure Mexican vanilla extract with bittersweet chocolate. The creamy, dusky, and spicy notes of Mexican vanilla adds a wonderful dimension, a dark, rich flavor to the chocolate. This is my adaptation of my mother's recipe. Marvel Chocolate Pie and More Ingredients: 6 ounces of high-quality bittersweet chocolate, in small pieces 3 tablespoons light cream 2 tablespoons sugar 4 large or extra-large eggs separated 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract (preferably Mexican) 1 pie shell, baked and cooled 1/2 pint whipping cream 2 teaspoons fine sugar 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Instructions: Melt chocolate, cream and sugar over very low heat just until the chocolate has melted. Remove from heat, stir and set aside to cool. Separate eggs. Beat the yolks just until blended. Fold them into the cooled chocolate mixture. Add Mexican vanilla extract and set aside. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks are formed. Fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture, folding just until blended. Then fold the chocolate mixture into the whites, again folding just until blended. Pour into the baked pie shell and chill. To Serve: Whip cream with sugar and vanilla extract. Cover pie with cream, then sprinkle with cocoa or shaved bittersweet chocolate. For Chocolate Mousse Prepare chocolate mixture as above. Fold in 3/4 cup of whipped cream. Mound into glasses or serving bowls. Decorate with raspberries and serve with raspberry sauce. -------------------------------------------------- We have Tree Trimming Party Recipes, Caroling Party Recipes and a great Cookie Exchange. Plus you'll find all the holiday recipes you need for a Christmas Morning Buffet, Hanukkah, and New Years Eve. Visit our new Holiday Recipes Feature by clicking here and, go ahead and bookmark or forward it to a friend if you like: http://recipes.chef2chef.net/holiday-recipe-collection/index.htm -------------------------------------------------- And finally, there are few things as delightful as a good chocolate truffle. I personally enjoy them with wine - the flavors play off one another in a delightfully sensual way. It's worth it to use the best quality chocolate you can afford; your reward will be exceptional mouth-feel and flavor. Creamy, Dreamy Chocolate/Vanilla Truffles Ingredients: 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter 8 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder Instructions: In a heavy saucepan, place cream and vanilla beans over medium heat, until the cream bubbles around the edge. Remove from heat and allow to steep for several hours or overnight. Reheat again till the cream bubbles around the edge, remove from heat, remove vanilla beans and pour into a measuring cup. You will want no more than 1/3 cup cream. Pour cream into a bowl, add butter and finely chopped chocolate, submerging the chocolate completely with a wooden spoon. Scrape seeds from vanilla beans into the chocolate mixture. Slowly stir mixture with a rubber spatula until it is completely blended and smooth. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour, or until a spoon of chocolate ganache mixture holds its shape. Using a pastry bag or a melon baller dipped in cornstarch, make truffle balls and place onto a baking sheet. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until completely firm. Roll each chocolate truffle between the palms of your hands, then roll in cocoa. Place in decorative candy cups and serve, or store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for several weeks. Makes about 30 truffles. -------------------------------------------------- Shopping Lists: Sour cream Butter, melted Pure vanilla extract, preferably Mexican Unbleached flour or cake flour Unsweetened cocoa Baking soda 4 eggs 12 to 16 ounces cherry preserves 2 tablespoons Kirsch Sugar Heavy cream 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate Unsalted butter Salt Tahitian vanilla extract 6 ounces of high-quality bittersweet chocolate light cream sugar 4 large or extra-large eggs pure vanilla extract (preferably Mexican) 1 pie shell Whipping cream Fine sugar Pure vanilla extract Heavy cream 2 vanilla beans Unsalted butter 8 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate Unsweetened cocoa powder -------------------------------------------------- QUESTIONS, Comments, Technical Support: http://forums.chef2chef.net -------------------------------------------------- ARCHIVE: All Club e-mails are archived each Friday at: http://chef2chef.net/news/club/ -------------------------------------------------- |